Justin Thomas will finally return to the PGA Tour next week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Thomas has missed the last three months after undergoing surgery on his back following a painful 2025 season.
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The 32-year-old has been building towards full fitness recently, competing in Atlanta Drive’s TGL matches on Monday.
Thomas has now shared his honest expectations for his PGA Tour comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Justin Thomas previews Arnold Palmer Invitational return
Thomas’s overwhelming feeling ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is excitement about playing professional golf again.
“I’m excited to get back and play Bay Hill next week,” he said, via the PGA Tour website.
However, Thomas realizes that he should not feel under pressure to perform as well as he might have done before the surgery.
Photo by Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images
It could take months for the two-time PGA Champion to return to his best, so he should just enjoy playing again before thinking about winning.
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“Obviously, I would love to play well next week, but I’m also understanding that it’ll be almost five, six months since I played a competitive tournament,” Thomas added.
“So I’m not exactly expecting anything great, but at least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill. So that’ll make me feel a little bit better.”
Justin Thomas disappointed with TGL performance
Atlanta Drive played two TGL matches on Monday night, losing 7-3 to Los Angeles Golf Club before beating Boston Common 5-2.
Thomas was not impressed with his performance, highlighting a problem that he also faced on the PGA Tour last season.
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“It was not very good on my end,” he reflected. “I think it took me a little bit to get in a rhythm and kind of get comfortable.
“All last year, I kept trying to hit a cut, and I just couldn’t hit a cut, so I just started to basically play a pull hook.”
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